


Decimus

by viyeolent (tasittliv)



Series: To Whoever Still Remembers [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BFFs ChanBaek, Best Friends, Everyone except Chanyeol is Baekhyun's ex, Explicit Language, Fluff, Frenemies ChanSoo, Happy Ending, It's implied that Baekhyun is the universal bottom anyway, M/M, Oblivious Chanyeol frustrates EXO-K, Oh Sehun is a Little Shit, Slight Drama, Top Do Kyungsoo | D.O, brief explicit sexual content, i think it's fluff, mentions of past relationships - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28286634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasittliv/pseuds/viyeolent
Summary: When Baekhyun moves on from the most recent ex-boyfriend, Kim Jongdae, to the new flame, Do Kyungsoo, Chanyeol  finds himself the only guy left in their circle of friendship who isn't already one of Baekhyun's exes.Or simply the story where Byun Baekhyun dates everyone elsebutPark Chanyeol, and Chanyeol is offended enough to: a. know why; and b. change that.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Series: To Whoever Still Remembers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047349
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	Decimus

**Author's Note:**

> This is the cleaned and edited version of an old tweetfic, which can be found **[here](https://twitter.com/viyeolent/status/840213941905121281)** in its original form.

"Look at that.”

Chanyeol reluctantly dragged his gaze from the delectable kimbap in his hand to look at whatever Sehun was gesturing towards. "Kyungsoo and Baekhyun?" he asked, failing to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Exactly," Sehun responded and continued to sneak peeks at the couple with hawk eyes, as if the very sight of the couple was enough reason to raise a shred of suspicion.

Chanyeol only resumed eating. Figuring that they had time to kill, he chose to indulge his friend anyway. "What about Kyungsoo and Baekhyun?" he prodded once more, but definitely not to encourage Sehun’s weird behaviour in any way.

"Isn't that… I don't know man, strange to you?"

“What is?”

“Kyungsoo and Baekhyun.”

“Huh? Why would it be?” Chanyeol’s answer was a no-brainer. Certainly, he didn’t quite expect the Do-Byun combination, but Baekhyun was a charmer; something about him just pulled others to him, Chanyeol supposed, considering the trail of exes Baekhyun left behind. Then, Chanyeol paused in the middle of biting his kimbap like the brute he was just to squint at Sehun, and asked, “You're not _still_ in love with Baekhyun, are you?"

Sehun’s reactionㅡ _and_ _denial_ ㅡcame so swiftly, Chanyeol was almost offended in behalf of his best friend and he slightly began to frown.

“Okay, hold up. So you _don't_ think it's strange? That all of your other friends are your best friend's _exes_? It’s not weird to you that we _all_ met, except for you, _because_ we’re Byun Baekhyun’s ex? Not at all?"

"No...?" Chanyeol slowly said, eyebrows scrunching closer together. He didn’t exactly like how Sehun was looking at him like _he_ just said something controversial and he was somehow only one viral social media post by a stranger away from being angrily mobbed online, so he figured he needed to both clear his name and understand the entire context of this sudden spotlight. "What are you trying to say?"

Sehun snorted. "Seriously?"

_"What?"_

"Doesn’t it seem like Baekhyun will literally date every other person, just not you? No offense meant, alright? But I _swear_ ; anyone _but_ you, Park Chanyeol."

Okay, no offense meant, Chanyeol could roll with that. No big deal. So what if Baekhyun didn't want to date him? He didn't want to date Baekhyun either.

Dating his best friend? Ha, weird.

Chanyeol decided this conversation wasn’t worth his two cents anymore. He continued eating and left Sehun to his own devices, even if that entailed letting Sehun waste his good looks by acting like a creep. Like a complete freakin’ weirdo, Sehun stared intensely at Baekhyun and the new flame who were a couple of tables away. Baekhyun was feeding a somewhat glowing Kyungsoo some ice cream, and that seem to set something off in Oh Sehun, who interrupted Chanyeol’s gastric unification with his tuna kimbap once more.

"A-ah!? Hey, doesn't he do that with you…?!"

Sehun’s questionable amount of interest in the current situation forced Chanyeol to pay more attention, and he watched Kyungsoo be all... boyfriend-like to his best friend.

In all honesty, he was more hungry than fascinated by whatever Baekhyun was up to; he didn’t have anything this morning prior to meeting up with the gang, and it didn’t help calm his nerves at all to be stuck with the crazy ex in one table. Needless to say, Chanyeol was not pleased, he didn’t appreciate whatever it was that Sehun was implying, and so he insisted, "We're _just_ best friends, okay?"

Chanyeol was even more displeased when Sehun gave him a once-over and _snorted_. "Yeah, I don't see why he'd ever wanna date you."

Chanyeol wasn't offended. Not at all. And he never thought of dating Baekhyun. At all. But ever since then, Sehun words constantly nagged him. The discomfort it brought was akin to a mild itch that he just couldn’t reach by himself.

Baekhyun wouldn't _ever_ date him? _Him?_ Park Chanyeol whom Byun Baekhyun said looked better than _the_ Kim Woo Bin? He whom Baekhyun ranked most handsome, second only to Kyungsoo? _Him!?_

Hypothetically speaking—not that Chanyeol _wants_ Baekhyun to want to date him—but why would Baekhyun _not_ want to date him?

Chanyeol needed an answer, one that was valid, logical, reasonable _and_ objective, and so he told what Sehun had said to Kyungsoo, one of the few individuals who were logical, reasonable and objective. In hindsight, while it wasn’t one of the dumbest decisions he’d made, he came to realize it definitely wasn’t one of the wisest. When Kyungsoo only laughed at him, he was certainly offended, but he should’ve expected that sort of response from his best friend’s _boyfriend._

Hell, Kyungsoo _luckily_ didn’t react so negatively to the stupid query. With Do Kyungsoo, everything related to Baekhyun was a tricky trap now, so thank the heavens that the guy didn’t seem to be in a foul mood today and even repeated what Sehun was getting at a few days prior, "Do you _want_ to date Baekhyun?"

Chanyeol had an answer to that; a definite 'no', but just thinking about the subject matter—him and _Baekhyun—_ was enough to stupefy him.

"No offense, Chanyeol, but if Baekhyun felt even the tiniest romantic inclination towards you, I think he would have made a move on you by now," Kyungsoo answered. They were actually close, he and Kyungsoo, if you overlook the fact that Kyungsoo often seemed to make it a personal mission to antagonize him in... well, everything.

"So... you also believe that Baekhyun and I ever dating is downright ridiculous?" Chanyeol clarified. What he just said sounded weird to him as well. It was unnerving; how could he possibly date Baekhyun? Why? How?! _Why?!_

"Do you want to keep talking about my boyfriend?" Kyungsoo wore a smile upon asking, but Chanyeol knew this man too well to recognize the underlying threat in there, so he stopped talking. Kyungsoo pretended like they never had the conversation.

Days later, Chanyeol was still stumped, and it was Sehun’s fault. This was _absolutely_ Oh Sehun's fault! Why would anyone even bring up something so preposterous in the first place!

To Chanyeol, it wasn't _weird_ that Baekhyun remained friends with every single one of the exes thus far. Baekhyun didn't _make_ it feel weird. If Baekhyun, who reserved the rights to be weirded out by this first and foremost, _wasn’t_ freaking out about it, then why should _Chanyeol_ be? As long as nobody used 'being exes' to hurt Baekhyun, and as long Baekhyun doesn’t become any less of a best friend to him, Chanyeol was fine with anything.

Ever since Sehun brought it up, though, Chanyeol found himself acting strangely. He, too, formed the habit of observing Baekhyun’s interactions with Kyungsoo, and he just finally noticed how affectionate his best friend was. For example, Baekhyun seemed to enjoy spoon-feeding his boyfriend food and adored initiating skinship.

_But_ Baekhyun used to do that for him too! So if dating involved _that_ , then—then Chanyeol had _that_ checked! Not that Chanyeol _ever_ told Baekhyun to do that for him. Or ever _wanted_ Baekhyun to. It just... came with the many years that they've known each other. They were best friends, after all.

Baekhyun feeding him is easier to imagine than, let's say, imagining himself to be the cause of Baekhyun's withering glares of jealousy. It was definitely much easier than imagining himself as Kyungsoo… or being in Kyungsoo’s place in general, brushing Baekhyun's hair and k… k-kissing Baekhyun anywhere…!?

To be fair, Chanyeol didn't have difficulty imagining himself being in such close proximity of Baekhyun. There was no such thing as personal space with them. It never existed!

What made the entire… _image training_ … difficult was the next part.

He couldn't imagine Baekhyun staring so warmly at him. He couldn't imagine them being in love. He could imagine himself looking at Baekhyun, but Baekhyun _reciprocating_ that?

Baekhyun _kissing_ him?

_Love?!_

Chanyeol always had to full-on stop.

They were best friends. It was weird to even consider the thought of being Baekhyun's next boyfriend. It wasn’t as if he was looking forward to his best friend’s breakup with Do Kyungsoo. But then... he also couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it… if ever… things reached that point.

Why _couldn't_ he be next?

"Hey, Baekhyun?"

"Yeah?" Baekhyun replied from beside him, but didn't pause the game.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but have you ever thought of dating me?"

The clicking of the keyboard stopped and the silence became much louder as soon as Chanyeol heard the standard music that accompanied the 'You died' screen of Darkest Spirit.

"What?" he heard his best friend laugh of disbelief. Or maybe it was a tinge of tears layered on a slab of irritation. Chanyeol knew how infuriating that game was, and the death counter on the screen only rubbed salt on the wound.

"What did you say, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun asked again after allow himself a minute to mourn the premature conclusion of his most recent playthrough.

"I asked if you ever thought of dating me," Chanyeol repeated.

He watched Baekhyun blink and smile… before his best friend laughed once more with another, "What?"

"Don’t make me say it again; I know it sounds stupid!" Chanyeol pouted. He felt so embarrassed. His best friend was the third person to laugh at it! He knew this was dumb! Damn Oh Sehun.

"Man, where'd _that_ come from?" Baekhyun kept laughing. "Do you like me?"

"No," Chanyeol made a face.

"Have you been thinking of dating me?"

Sure, Chanyeol had been so bothered by what Sehun said that he had actually been imagining dating Baekhyun, but those thoughts were entirely involuntary and non-consensual on his part, which elicited an even bigger, mental and muted, ‘NO!’

"If _you_ never considered the possibility, then what made you think I ever did?" Baekhyun scoffed, spinning the swivel chair to reload the game and fulfil the age old adage of trying and trying until one succeeded.

"But why?"

"Why what?"

"Why haven't you ever?" Chanyeol asked. He needed to know. This had gone long enough; he wouldn’t be able to relax until the thoughts were finally laid to rest. "What's not to like about me? What makes me un-dateable to you?"

"Chanyeol, I'm kind of busy right now."

"The game hasn't started yet."

"I have a boyfriend."

"Kyungsoo isn't here."

"Why are you asking?"

"Because I want to know! Not that I mind, but you've dated everyone else, Baekhyun, literally _the rest_ of our group of friends. _Everyone_ but me. How come?"

"Since you won't let it go, seems to me like you actually _do_ mind."

"If I just say it does, will you give me an answer?"

"Uh, I... guess?"

"I _do_ mind, then. It bothers me. More than it should. And I don’t understand why it does.”

Baekhyun made an unsure shrug. "I just… never thought of it? You're just not attractive to me? I suppose?"

"But why!? I don't get it," Chanyeol crossed his arms. "How am I not attractive when you think I'm handsome? I am, aren’t I? You said so yourself."

"Attractive isn't always dateable."

"Why?" He continued to whine. "What part of me being attractive also says I'm un-dateable?"

"Then what about _you_ , huh?"

"Huh? What about me?" Chanyeol shrunk onto the bed and he watched his best friend raise the white flag in surrender and close the game, swinging the swivel chair again this time to face him.

"Why won't you date me?” Baekhyun asked, certainly taking Chanyeol by surprise. “You answer me, too," Baekhyun spoke again without letting up. "Why have you never thought of us dating? What makes me un-dateable when you think I'm cute?"

Chanyeol stammered. He didn't have an answer ready; couldn’t come up with one, not even when Baekhyun pressed him for one.

"Well, Park?"

"B-Because… you're my best friend,” it was the first and the only thing that came into Chanyeol's mind at the time. “So us dating is weird..."

Baekhyun stared at him, stared at him like his best friend never had done before. Then, somehow, it led Baekhyun to conclude, "I'll never date you."

And that was that.

Chanyeol got to talk to his best friend about it. It was supposed to be the end, and yet the nagging feeling was still there. He didn’t know what to do anymore.

'I'd never date you'? 'Never'? Baekhyun had said it so resolutely, Chanyeol ended up unable to sleep that night. He thought about it even more, so much that he reminisced the days of his best friend’s past relationships and he even scrutinized every single one of Baekhyun's exes.

Sure, he couldn't dance as well as Zhang Yixing, but he was… well, he's pretty decent. He's funny, too. He certainly made better jokes than Kim Junmyeon. While he didn't have Oh Sehun's airport shoulders, he was confident that he could manage himself better in a fight. He was more patient, and he loved dogs as much as Kim Jongin did!

Even Jongdae, his other best friend, was on the ‘Rate Byun Baekhyun’s Exes’ list. Kim Jongdae gave the best hugs and was incredibly sweet. Chanyeol argued (with himself) that he gave warm hugs, too! His hugs were better for Baekhyun because he was taller! He could wrap Baekhyun and cover his best friend’s head to boot!

Chanyeol only stopped because his stomach finally growled. All that thinking burned all the calories he stocked up the day before. The sun was already up when he realized he’d stayed up almost the entire night, and he finally felt guilty that he’d been thinking of his friends so unpleasantly, even if it _was_ their fault for being his best friend’s exes.

But he still didn’t get it. He _really_ didn't get it.

How come Baekhyun believed everyone else was boyfriend material but not him?

He was better!

Just—

How?!

Chanyeol often called Sehun out for being the 'judgmental ex'. Sehun must've infected him somehow because now, he was judging Kyungsoo too! Just when Chanyeol thought he had his best friend's type all figured out—shapely long limbs, lean muscles and sharp but kind eyes—then came Do Kyungsoo!

Kyungsoo, who was first Jongin's friend and often shot down all of Baekhyun's previous attempts to become closer to him, he was now Boyfriend#10! But when did Kyungsoo even begin to like Baekhyun? Or did Kyungsoo always like Baekhyun...? And when did Baekhyun begin to like the guy who punched him once?

Chanyeol wasn’t saying Do Kyungsoo had the potential to be a gangster, but he wouldn’t ever call Kyungsoo the second coming of Mahatma Gandhi!

"You got a problem?" Kyungsoo asked from across the table.

Chanyeol abruptly realized that he had been staring. Rather rudely. And that they were all having lunch. Together. Baekhyun unwittingly intervened by reaching for the kimchi between them… except that both Chanyeol and Kyungsoo reached for it to help him.

Chanyeol didn't mean to start a competition with Kyungsoo; it was just that, the muscle memory honed by years of fulfilling his best friend duties often clashed with Kyungsoo’s potent but neophyte boyfriend duties. Do Kyungsoo was unlike Jongin or Sehun who both became two of Chanyeol’s closest friends while dating Baekhyun. Perhaps it’s time to throw in the towel and admit that Kyungsoo just didn't… click with him.

"Do you want more kimchi…?" Baekhyun asked, frowning until he finally managed to pry both men's hands off the side dish. "We can get more."

"I'm good," Kyungsoo said as he raised a spoonful of his own bibimbap to Baekhyun's lips.

Meanwhile, Chanyeol took and refilled Baekhyun's glass with water.

Baekhyun smiled at them both with a lick on his lips, "Thanks."

Chanyeol felt just a bit colder when his eyes met unimpressed Kyungsoo's. It's not that Chanyeol didn't want Kyungsoo for Baekhyun, he honestly just couldn't figure out how 'Kyungsoo and Baekhyun' happened. It was the same feeling as when he discovered the dragon and the donkey got together and had… dronkey offsprings in that one children’s movie, the one with the ogre and his ogre wife and they eventually shockingly had about a dozen ogre kids.

Nevertheless, Chanyeol kept a close eye on the couple throughout the duration of their lunch. Sehun was sending him rather obvious gestures as a comrade in this dumb, dumb, _dumb_ quest to comprehend Baekhyun’s taste in men. Or maybe Sehun was just being his usual stupid self but Chanyeol’s fallen into this hole like the sucker that he was that’s why he interpreted everything Sehun was doing as blatant mockery.

While Chanyeol was having a crisis, Jongdae was cracking jokes. Out of everyone there, they shared the same sense of humor the most. Everyone hated it when they sat together, saying that individually they were hilarious, but together they bordered on obnoxious. Jongdae was making them all form a six-pack; Junmyeon even almost broke out of his character and spewed water out of his nose in a botched attempt to catch his breath.

They were having tremendous fun, and if Chanyeol didn't know his friends better, he’d have never realized that Baekhyun wasn’t adding his own quips to the colourful crackpot of self-made comedy. Jongdae still wasn't on speaking terms with Baekhyun, it seemed. By the end of the lunch, the group was unevenly divided into two: the exes, and Baekhyun plus the current boyfriend.

So… where was Chanyeol going to fit in?

"It's weird now, isn't it?" Sehun muttered as he pretended to bump onto Chanyeol as they walked.

Chanyeol only scoffed in response. "You're the only one making things weird."

" _You're_ weird."

"I'm the weird one?” Chanyeol questioned with furrowed brows. “ _You_ kept staring at Baekhyun like a nutjob!"

"What can I say? It was entertaining to watch you squirm and try not to trigger Kyungsoo."

"Seriously, how could _that_ guy have both eyes on _just_ me when _you_ were pointing at him the entire time?"

Sehun shrugged. "Maybe it’s because I'm already an ex? Even the most environment-conscious can’t reduce, reuse and recycle an ex."

"I just don't get that part either! Why did Baekhyun even date you in the first place? All you ever did was whine and cling to him."

"Maybe it’s because I'm more attractive than you are?"

Chanyeol almost opened his mouth to say something immature and petty. Instead, he paused to inhale. Then, he laughed.

Oh Sehun? More attractive than he was? _Hilarious!_

Sehun didn’t look bad, that’s for sure, but he didn’t bring anything new to the table; nothing that any of them hadn’t seen before from Yixing or Jongin. If anything, Sehun was tall. He was as tall as Chanyeol now that he’s grown up a little.

If anything, the first thought that came to Chanyeol’s mind when Baekhyun dated Sehun was that his best friend must have really wanted a tall boyfriend to reach the cupboard for him.

"Wait, what's that?" Sehun paused to cup his ear. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"It's... your jealousy over not being boyfriend material!" Sehun cackled, utterly proud of himself, and quickly hid himself behind Jongdae, who was lagging behind by himself and texting whoever.

Chanyeol swore he was going to knock this kid over one day and there would be no Kim Jongdae to stop him.

"You like Baekhyun?" Jongdae asked.

"I do not like Baekhyun!" Chanyeol answered, both scandalized and infuriated.

"He doesn't think us being Baekhyun's exes is weird. Isn’t that weird?" Sehun whispered loudly.

"Haha yeah, you're weird," Jongdae laughed, eliciting a groan from Chanyeol, who then realized something.

"Hey Dae, I'm boyfriend material right?"

"Uh?" Jongdae said 'Yeah of course' but only after an undeniable moment of confusion, hesitation, then laughter.

What the hell!

Even Jongdae?!

"Nah, he wants to know if he's _Baekhyun's_ kind of boyfriend material," Sehun clarified, instantly receiving a painful heel against his foot, courtesy of Park Chanyeol.

"Oh..." Jongdae made a softer laugh, one that didn't quite make the corners of his eyes crinkle. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you, Chanyeol."

Chanyeol didn't worry about it.

… Okay, maybe he did.

He thought he knew Baekhyun, everything about Baekhyun, but turns out, he didn't.

"Really, don't think too much about it," Jongdae pretended to knock Chanyeol’s head lightly. "You're not the thinker type. Baekhyun likes you as you are."

"As a best friend," Chanyeol said as he nodded.

"Even if you're not his boyfriend material, you're his most favourite person in the world material."

Sehun coughed. "Still not date material."

Chanyeol immediately shot his best friend’s least rated ex a glare.

Jongdae laughed again. "I think you're both better off this way?"

Jongdae was right. Chanyeol should let it go. Nothing good ever came out of indulging Sehun's childishness anyway.

So Chanyeol tried to forget, but he couldn't help himself. Little by little, Baekhyun had less and less time for him. Sure, Kyungsoo was the boyfriend, but it was Chanyeol’s first time feeling this way. Now that his best friend was in a relationship, he was once again sharing Baekhyun with someone else—this time, it was with Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol understood that was just what it was like when Baekhyun found someone, but it didn't mean he had to like it. Their friendship had survived plenty of Baekhyun’s relationships before; it could persevere this time too. But… he didn't know what to do with the change. Things have never felt as heavy or sad like this before.

"Doesn't it bother you? You don't get to hang out with Kyungsoo anymore?" he asked Jongin one day when Baekhyun had plans with Kyungsoo. Jongin was sort of Kyungsoo’s best friend. Not like the kind of best friend that Baekhyun was to Chanyeol, but Jongin was the closest thing to compare, he supposed.

"Sometimes, but I've been there so... not really?" Jongin answered with a stifled yawn. The guy was starting to fall asleep on the grass. Chanyeol could tell. "Why? Are you bothered?"

"How are you friends with Kyungsoo? What blood sacrifice did you have to resort to? Whenever we meet, he looks at me like he’s in the process of meticulously plotting my murder."

"Hmm… He's not that bad. Baekhyun thinks so, too."

"How am I friends with you people?" Chanyeol rubbed his temples.

“Tell me once you figure it out,” Jongin chuckled. "Oh, but I'd like to know too… How are _you_ still friends with Baekhyun?"

"What do you mean? Baekhyun and I have been friends since I could remember. We're practically inseparable!"

"I guess so… You know, Chanyeol, this set-up isn't normal. I honestly don't know how you're still friends with Baekhyun," Jongin muttered, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes. "I guess you could say that it bothers me now."

"Why would I stop being friends with Baekhyun?" the very thought was absurd to Chanyeol.

"You're best friends, I get it, but I'm his ex. It's forgivable to be friends with one ex, but he's friends with eight, and the only thing all of us have in common is, well, Baekhyun. Whatever it is that pulled him to us, we have no idea. We look nothing alike, do we?"

"I don't think I get what you're trying to say..." Chanyeol admitted.

"Hmm… Baekhyun did say you couldn't take hints. He thinks it's cute."

Now, why would Baekhyun tell Jongin that? Chanyeol couldn’t figure out.

"You're supposed to feel weird about this, Chanyeol. You don’t have to be upset by it, but it’s something that will definitely make one wonder. Oh, and I believe Kyungsoo doesn't like you for many reasons," Jongin raises his hands to count his fingers, before saying, “I can think of nine.”

"Huh? Nine? What—why?"

"Do you like dogs?"

"Oh, I do! A lot!"

"Me too," Jongin laid back down on the grass, back facing Chanyeol. "That's one out of nine, Chanyeol.”

"Nine? What's the nine for? What do you mean? Hey, Kim Jongin! Don't sleep right after saying that! Hey! Don’t leave me hanging here!"

But Jongin ignored him, much to Chanyeol’s dismay. He really was Do Kyungsoo’s friend, in that sense. "You're taking nine ex-boyfriends what Kyungsoo only needed a month to figure out," Jongin grumbled. "Aish~ you’re hopeless! I hope Baekhyun just marries Kyungsoo."

Chanyeol was horrified by the statement. "You take that back!" he yelled, and he spent the whole afternoon preventing Baekhyun's first ex from getting a good sleep on a perfectly cozy and sunny day.

Hanging out with Jongin rarely turned out eventful, but this particular day left Chanyeol absolutely unfulfilled! And so, he decided to drop by his best friend’s dorm before going home. He was bored out of his wits. Besides, he missed Baekhyun. Why? Because Kyungsoo was out with Baekhyun all day! That best friend hogger!

Once he arrived, though, to his utter _shock_ , Chanyeol had walked in on the couple in the most compromising position, one that left nothing to the imagination. His heart leapt from his chest to his throat; his feet suddenly turned cold, and his stomach churned. He shut his eyes instantly, but the image of Kyungsoo on top of Baekhyun… balls deep inside his best friend… coming down from the high… it had already engraved itself in his mind!

Chanyeol slammed the door shut before Kyungsoo could even roar at him to **_"Get the fuck out!"_**

He could hear cursing from the other side of the door. His heart was threatening to jump out of his chest. Oh god he was weak; his legs lost their strength and he was picking himself up from the floor when he heard Baekhyun's voice.

"Chanyeol? You still there?" his best friend asked. Was it a trick question? Was Kyungsoo waiting for him at the other side with a knife?

The door cracked open an awkward amount of time later.

"H-hey I'mㅡ" Chanyeol gulped.

Baekhyun peeked, but it was Kyungsoo who yanked the door wider. His best friend pat Chanyeol's chest. "You really should have knocked first."

"I-I didn't know."

Kyungsoo grunted. "Are you leaving?"

Baekhyun's legs were quivering, Chanyeol noticed. A trail of white slid down from between his best friend’s thighs before Baekhyun closed them. Chanyeol’s stomach churned some more. He didn't like it. He really, _really_ didn’t like it.

"Are you here for your game?" Baekhyun asked him.

That was a lie. He dropped by because, if he couldn't be with Baekhyun today, he thought he could be with Baekhyun tonight. Baekhyun knew he came over regardless of whether he had a good reason or not, so what was the lie for?

"Oh. Uh, yeah," Chanyeol nodded. He didn't know why he even stayed that long. Or why he couldn’t turn around and run away far, far from there.

Kyungsoo glared at him with the intensity of a dragon about to raze an entire town, before the guy sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Baekhyun."

Chanyeol stood stiffly at a side to make way for his best friend's boyfriend. Kyungsoo was shorter, but it must be taken into consideration that Kyungsoo was shorter AND terrifying!

"You can come inside now," Baekhyun commented.

"He's mad at me, isn't he?"

"Isn’t he always? But it's never been a problem to you before."

"Well, he wasn'tㅡ"

"Wasn't what?" his best friend arched a brow.

"Nothing," Chanyeol answered meekly. Baekhyun even had to haul him inside the unit to get his feet working again.

"Hey," his best friend said, and so he looked up from the floor to Baekhyun. "I know we kind of scarred you back there, but I need you to say something here so we can assess the damage, Chanyeol."

"Ha… I'm fine, just... shaken, I guess. I mean. I know you're dating but... I suppose—I think… I only just understood what 'boyfriend' means. I don’t think about it. I mean, about you… ack, _really_ , never!"

"It includes that, sure," his best friend smiled uneasily. "But, really? Just now? I've had boyfriends before, you know!"

"I know!... And you have… eight more of them!"

"Anyway, since you're here, do you want to actually play a game or do we go bar hopping or..."

Chanyeol didn't know what he wanted to do, and Baekhyun seemed to notice and handed him the second controller. "It doesn't have to be weird. But if you want to avoid me for a few days until you calm down, that’s fine. Just be sure to return, okay?"

"Don't speak nonsense," Chanyeol muttered as he affixed his eyes on the TV, with his bestest friend in the whole wide world beside him as they both sat on the floor.

It was too quiet! Chanyeol was drowning! Too many thoughts inside his head!

"What can I talk about then?" Baekhyun quipped, as if he hadn’t just been caught having s-s- _se—_

"I don't know...” Chanyeol answered, defeated. He suddenly felt like a hamster that’s gotten too tired of running on his wheel and was now realizing how vast the world outside his hamster cage was. “I guess anything else but Kyungsoo?"

"He's usually really nice! You just caught us in a bad time."

"Don't talk about him," Chanyeol repeated. He could feel himself scowling, especially now that he’s noticed the blush on his best friend’s cheeks. Gosh, why is that so…!

He was so annoyed! But why in the world was he upset about 'that'? He knew Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were in a relationship, so that wasn’t surprising! And he was the one who walked in on them! Make it sense, Park Chanyeol!

"When you asked me if I ever thought of dating you, I said no," Baekhyun suddenly spoke again. "Because I don't ever want to think of you that way."

"I'm friends with every guy you've thought of that way; _have been with_ that way," Chanyeol laughed dryly. "Damn, I'm _friends_ with all your exes."

Sehun was right. Everyone else was right. He _was_ weird. This was _weird_. He was close friends with everyone his best friend has ever fucked, and he just asked Baekhyun if he… had ever… wanted to do it with him. He just asked _Baekhyun_ if he’d ever had those kinds of thoughts about him. _Chanyeol_ was the strange one here.

They never got past the game's start screen. Chanyeol had his face in his hands. He wasn't in the mood to play right now, but he was a jumbled mess inside, one that needed help to be unravelled. Baekhyun was all too silent beside him; he couldn’t ask Baekhyun to help him when he couldn’t even figure himself out.

"It doesn't have to be a problem, okay?" He heard Baekhyun say. "It's not like anyone's bitterㅡ"

"Kyungsoo is! Jongdae is, Baekhyun!"

"Jongdae? No he isn't."

" _Yes_ , he is! He doesn't talk to you as often anymore, and you don't say that his jokes go overboard anymore,” Chanyeol took a deep breath. "Things were going great between you. You adored each other, so—why? Why did you break up? And _now_ you're dating Kyungsoo? After _just_ a month?"

Baekhyun sighed and finally switched off the PS4. "I'm going to sleep. If you're not going home, you can sleep on the couch."

"Do you _even_ actually like Kyungsoo?"

" _I do_ ," his best friend snapped. "I actually _do_ like him, Chanyeol. It's easier to be with him."

"He's easy to be with?" Chanyeol was baffled. "And what do you call being with _me_ , then?"

Baekhyun was taken aback by that. Chanyeol was, too.

"You're my best friend," Baekhyun was the first to regain a bit of composure. "Being with you is different from being with a boyfriend."

Chanyeol didn't let himself respond to that anymore. He couldn't even wrap his head around anything else that wasn't Kyungsoo; Kyungsoo _with_ Baekhyun. "Goodnight," he told his best friend before he settled on the couch.

A good night was surely not what he had after Baekhyun's bedroom door closed. He woke up covered in cold sweat in the middle of the night. He had dreamt of Baekhyun; dreamt that he was kissing Baekhyun like a man about to be sent to war come morning light, and it felt _too_ real.

Chanyeol didn't go back to sleep. It was just too much for an already emotionally-charged night. He only knew he fell asleep because Baekhyun woke him up.

"I should record your snores; you're more effective than my alarm," his best friend grumbled groggily. "Get out. I don't have breakfast."

"But let’s—" Before Chanyeol could protest, finish his sentence or actually wake up properly, he found himself already being shoved outside of the dorm. "—let's go together?"

"Go away, I want to sleep," Baekhyun growled from inside of the unit.

Chanyeol groaned, beginning the trek to the nearby diner that served breakfast. It was still closed by the time he got there, and was going to remain closed due to a company excursion according to the signage, so Chanyeol, not one to surrender in the face of slight inconvenience, walked back to the dorm and stopped by the nearby café. He should’ve just gone to the café to begin with, shouldn’t he?

Whatever! What’s done was done! Chanyeol bought himself (and Baekhyun) breakfast. Corporate slaves consumed coffee as dark as the foreseeable future in the morning, but Chanyeol wasn’t a slave of money yet, he had a few years more until he sold his wellbeing to capitalism, so he was more than happy with his overpriced freshly squeezed orange juice and the day’s first batch of baked pastries. It sure was nice to keep your soul from the influence of the root of all evil!

Just as Chanyeol emerged from the café, sniffing the waft of baked goods like any other _regular_ person at 7am on a weekday morning, he chanced upon Jongin who was being walked by the latter’s three fluffy dogs.

"Huh, you’re up early today. Did you run away from home?" Baekhyun's first ex asked, almost with pity.

"What…? No!"

"Oh. That’s a relief,” Jongin smiled, then noticed two cups in the holder. “Oh… is that for Baekhyun?"

Chanyeol paused. _How_ did people somehow magically know that every time?

"You're really easy to figure out," Jongin smiled once more but didn’t elaborate any more. Before they parted ways, however, Chanyeol may have heard his best friend’s ex say, "Baekhyun dated Junmyeon for being very thoughtful. That's two out of nine."

What did _that_ mean? Chanyeol was puzzled. Jongin liked dogs... Junmyeon was thoughtful… How was that two out of nine? What was he going to do with that information? Perhaps his mind wasn't 'awake' enough for any mental activity yet.

He returned to Baekhyun's dorm to drop off half of the goods he bought. After last night, he owed his best friend breakfast, at least. He didn't think Baekhyun would answer, but Chanyeol didn’t forget Jongin’s riddle, so he asked the person that caused it all anyway before heading out again.

"Hey, Baekhyun? Why did you date Sehun?"

"He’s tall and playful," Baekhyun's eyes were still closed while answering. His best friend was still half asleep, judging from the way the young man was holding his spoon wrong. “We played a lot.”

"Oh," was all Chanyeol said as Baekhyun took the paperbag from him. "But aren't I tall and playful, too?" he asked, but the door had already closed. Baekhyun wasn’t a morning person, so Chanyeol left it at that and thought a lot about what Jongin said throughout the walk back home.

Chanyeol loved dogs. He supposed he was thoughtful, too; _too_ thoughtful, Baekhyun always said whenever his best friend had to intervene for him a couple of times before. Well, he was certainly tall and playful. Sehun and Baekhyun grew closer back when he was busy with his internship…

Was that three?

It was after dinner, weeks later, when Chanyeol found himself walking behind Kyungsoo and Baekhyun by himself, providing an opportunity for Sehun to purposely bump onto him and be an overall menace again.

"I always teased you for being slow but _man_ ," the kid sighed. "Can't believe _I_ just realized that Jongdae is like, a high-pitched 2.0 you."

"What?"

"See, you make the same horrible jokes. You're both full of yourselves," Sehun waved a 'you are!' finger at him. "You're both _loud_."

"I am _nothing_ like Jongdae," Chanyeol replied and held back a reflexive 'I'm _much_ better!', but of course no offense to Jongdae.

Sehun scoffed. "Yeah you are; you're friends."

"What's that got to do with it?"

"It's that 'birds of the same feather flock together' or something. People with similarities tend to get along and stick with each other, you know?"

"If that’s true, then what do you and I have in common?"

Sehun made that look, the one that made him appear both miffed and confused and... well, characteristically Sehun. "We're both handsome?"

"Psh. Yeah right," Chanyeol snorted, but then again, he knew neither of them was ugly; he just didn’t want to say that Sehun was right. "Then what do Kyungsoo and I have in common?"

"Kyungsoo and—wait… I'm sorry but you two _actually_ get along?"

"We get along fine," Chanyeol answered. He didn’t have to acknowledge that Kyungsoo seemed to intentionally glare at him more often nowadays, and even _while_ Chanyeol was looking at that. No one _had_ to know!

But Sehun burst out laughing as if Chanyeol was the best clown in the world. To this, Chanyeol pretended to raise his hand, mentally ranking Sehun lowest out of all of Baekhyun’s exes and preparing to smack the living daylight out of the latter.

"Okay, okay! Geez!” Sehun wiped a tear and patted his washboard abs, hidden by the fitted plain white tee. Showing off at the most obscure instances, only Oh Sehun! “The only thing I can think of is you're both... uh, territorial?"

Sehun wasn't any help. Later on, however, Chanyeol realized Sehun _did_ give him _something_ ; a clue!

Jongdae made the same jokes.

Did that make four?

Chanyeol was starting to get an idea. He didn't know what to make of it quite yet; he wasn’t really good at piecing things together. Sometimes, though, he would arrive at an inkling of the truth, like some sort of epiphany.

And it was… terrifying.

The clues all so far pointed to something that wasn't something between best friends.

"You're pretty quiet tonight," Baekhyun observed.

“Oh yeah?”

Only the game’s background music and the continuous clicking of controller buttons decorated the silence. It was game night. It was just the two of them tonight again.

"Yeah. So, what's up?"

"I've just been thinking," Chanyeol answered as he focused on kicking his best friend's character's weak ass.

"Oh? Well, don't overdo it."

"Aren't you going to ask me about it?"

"Nah," Baekhyun clicked his tongue. "It might be important now, but nothing really lasts with you. Just let it pass like usual."

"Hey, I refute that."

"It's the truth. It takes you forever to understand things. By the time you do, whatever the thing is, it's already over."

"Yeah, well, maybe if people could just say it directly, people like me wouldn't take so long to figure things out," Chanyeol muttered.

"Wait, wait—what?" Baekhyun scrunched his face at the 'You lose' flashing on his side of the TV before restarting and nudging him. "Are you upset now? You okay?"

"I'm fine. Beating you in your own game makes me feel better."

"Eh~ you're being a baby. Fine, I'm going to ask. What’s got you all so worked up?" Chanyeol didn’t answer because he didn't know how to say it, so Baekhyun nudged him again. "I'm just assuming but… Is this about Soo?"

But the mention of that name seemed to be the lever that opened the gates, and the words spilled out of Chanyeol’s mouth. "Do you like me, Baekhyun?"

"What?"

"Have you ever liked me...?"

His best friend stared at him as if he had grown a second head, and then laughed awkwardly. "What in the world are you saying?"

"It's a 'no' then?"

"What? Why would I ever like you? That's just weird," Baekhyun dismissed.

Chanyeol could relate. But at the same time, he also couldn't. He felt a little hurt; a little disappointed.

Was he wrong then?

"What made you think that?" Baekhyun's face was unreadable now.

"So you never liked me?"

"Chanyeol, I have a boyfriend."

"Why won't you answer me directly?" Chanyeol frowned. "I don't understand. I'm not dateable but you dated everyone I had similarities with."

Maybe he was just being paranoid or full of himself, but if there really was _nothing—_ if Baekhyun felt nothing and they were _just_ normal, average best friends _—_ then it wouldn’t be so hard to deny, right?

"We're seriously talking about this?"

"We wouldn't still be talking about it if you would just say 'yes' or 'no'."

Baekhyun didn’t answer, but the glare in his eyes conveyed so much more than it had to.

"Don't try to escape," Chanyeol planted himself on the floor. "It's too early to sleep and I'm not moving until you give me a solid answer."

Just when he thought Baekhyun was going to throw the controller at him, his best friend killed his character, and then Chanyeol himself with, "I have. I actually _have_ liked you before," Baekhyun's voice was raised and oddly even as he spoke. "What are you going to do about it, huh? Are you happier now that you know?"

Chanyeol thought about it over the past days. He thought he was prepared for this if it ever came to that. But now, he was utterly speechless.

Baekhyun was staring at him. It scared him so much, Chanyeol could piss himself. But then, his best friend started laughing.

"Ha!” Baekhyun practically _gleamed_. “Got you!"

"The fuck?!" Chanyeol felt so many things, too many things. His chest hurt. His eyes even slightly watered. "What!"

"You should have seen your face, dumbass. Scared you, huh?" Baekhyun chucked a potato chip at him and killed his character again. "Don't ask about things you're not prepared to hear."

Out of the many feelings that assailed Chanyeol, relief was the easiest to identify. Then it was betrayal and anger. And, when he lay awake on the couch again, he faced the most palpable one yet—disappointment.

Once again, he found himself asking, 'Why?'

His heart leaped when Baekhyun said he liked him, and it broke when it turned out to be a joke. Why did Baekhyun joke about something like that? Why did Baekhyun's joke make him so mad? Why couldn't he forget it?

Chanyeol felt utterly frustrated. After that night, all he saw, all he thought about was Baekhyun; what made his best friend tick, how infectious Baekhyun's laugh was… every little thing. Now he noticed that whenever Baekhyun excused himself to go to the restroom, Kyungsoo was sure to follow. He hated the likely possibilities of why that was so.

He hated how Kyungsoo's hand rested on Baekhyun's thigh. He hated the fact that it has touched other places. He hated seeing Kyungsoo with Baekhyun.

For Chanyeol, hate had always been a word too strong to use, but he couldn't think of anything else whenever he sat across the couple. That space beside Baekhyun, it had been his place. It used to _always_ be his place, _only_ his place. No one else ever sat beside Baekhyun if he was around. But now, Kyungsoo was there and Baekhyun didn't mind at all that Chanyeol was in front of him instead of beside him anymore.

It hurt. Apparently, it could hurt a hell lot. But, how come he only noticed it? Why did it bother him now? When did the change happen? But, most importantly, how could he stop it from hurting?

"Wait, what?"

Chanyeol was startled when a shocked Sehun dropped his phone on the table. Even _he_ gaped when he realized he had been speaking his thoughts out loud. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were still in the restroom, but _everyone_ else was there.

_Everyone._

"So…" Jongin paused, looking at everyone’s faces awkwardly and lowering the fried chicken leg that was on its way to his mouth.

Chanyeol was about to explain himself—no, he should confirm what they heard first—but then, Baekhyun flopped back on the seat across him.

Nobody said a word. Jongdae helped the atmosphere recover with the usual jokes. Sehun pretended to be texting so as not to strike up a conversation. Jongin kept munching and chewing and eating...

It was Junmyeon who stayed when everyone else suddenly had other commitments. "Under normal circumstances, I'd give you my support," Baekhyun’s most responsible ex stated.

"Ahaha… You heard wrong," Chanyeol tried to laugh it off, but the look the other gave him made him shrink. "Really, it's not what you think."

"I've heard that before, when Baekhyun and I broke up."

'A mutual decision,' Baekhyun said, Chanyeol could still remember. It was always what Baekhyun told him.

"A warning in advance, I can't take hints," Chanyeol preempted.

Junmyeon chuckled. "I know."

Oh. Well. Now Chanyeol somehow felt slighted. "Uhm… How do you know?"

"Baekhyun told me. I hope you don't mind, but he used to tell me a lot about you. Nothing negative, I assure you. But I hear Kyungsoo doesn't like any of it."

Chanyeol made a face. "Kyungsoo doesn't like many things."

"It's understandable when he’s made to feel like he always has to compete with you."

"Always? Uh, no—”

"Yes, he does, Chanyeol," Junmyeon cut him off. Junmyeon never cut people off. "I had to. Yixing had to. Jongdae had to. Jongin had to. Everyone who’s tried to love Baekhyun has had to."

"Why would—" Chanyeol shook his head. "Compete? With me? For what? Over what?"

"We didn't hear you wrong, Chanyeol. If anything, you just realized it rather late."

"Realized what? Could you please stop talking to me in riddles!?" he didn't mean to shout, but he was done with people just 'hinting'.

"Baekhyun likes you."

No...

No, that couldn’t be. Baekhyun hadn't ever even thought of dating him. He wasn't 'dateable' to Byun Baekhyun. Baekhyun said so himself.

Junmyeon sighed. "You know what? Maybe you're right. You've known each other for much longer. You know him better."

"Y-yeah."

"But he's with Kyungsoo now. Maybe Baekhyun doesn't like you, but you like him. Or at least, you’re beginning to," Junmyeon appeared calm, but Chanyeol had never before heard the man's voice like that. "If the first thing you try to do right after realizing it is fervently deny the fact, then Kyungsoo, who’s brave enough to be completely honest about his own feelings, deserves to be beside Baekhyun more than you do."

Chanyeol felt anger. There was too much of Baekhyun, too much he didn't understand. He wasn't proud, but in that moment, he had walked out of that conversation and practically shut the matter close.

Much later, Baekhyun texted him, asking where he was. He never replied and yet, somehow, Baekhyun still found him.

"Soulmates, remember?" was all Baekhyun said upon being prompted.

Chanyeol could feel the words twist like a knife inside his chest. "Yeah… soulmates." he forced a smile on his face, but he couldn't at all look at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun sat on the swing beside his, making it creak. "Junmyeon told me you might be feeling down. What happened? You were fine earlier."

"I thought I was fine, too," Chanyeol answered after a while. “But it’s… it’s nothing. I’ll let it pass, as you said. I’ll get over it in no time.”

"Chanyeol, I..." he waited for Baekhyun to finish, but nothing else followed.

"Don't you have a date with Kyungsoo tonight?"

"Plan changed."

Instead of asking why and getting his hopes up, Chanyeol suggested, "Tomorrow, then?"

"Maybe! But enough about Kyungsoo. We're talking about you, remember?”

"What's there to say?"

"There are many things to say about you."

Chanyeol snorted. "Are you going to talk about my ears? That's so lame."

"I guess could, couldn't I?" he heard a little laugh beside him. "But that's too predictable, so I'll tell you something else," Baekhyun hummed. "I don't think I've told you this story before."

"Someone I know, better than anyone, really, asked me why I never thought of dating him. I said I just never did. I didn't want to date him. I wasn't lying, but I wasn't being honest either. I just… couldn't say it that time. That I wanted him forever. He wasn't ready to hear it.”

“I call him my best friend, and best friends aren't people you date. They're not people you think of settling down with, of growing old with. To me, for a very long time," Baekhyun inhaled. "The word best friend always followed the word love, but it was only me who felt that way."

"Your best friend is an idiot," Chanyeol said as he swallowed the painful lump in his throat. "You’re the most obvious person I know. How could he not have noticed it?"

Baekhyun laughed. "Detecting hints and subtlety isn’t his forte."

"Dogs don't need hints."

"Oh, he really likes dogs. He’s so playful with them. He gets along great with people, too. He's fun to be around, and he’s also so considerate. Can you believe that for someone 6 feet tall, I’ve had to fight and chase thugs away from him? He’s just too nice sometimes; people just take advantage!"

"What an idiot," Chanyeol finished. "He's _such_ an idiot to not have realized why you did all that for him. Only an idiot won’t notice someone like you… considering all those years you spent looking at just him."

"Yeah... Can you just imagine being in love with someone like that? Every time he'd call you his best friend, it'd make you so damn happy... only for guilt to replace it because there you are, laughing along while selfishly thinking of having a future with him. Day by day, you’re less and less satisfied with just having him as a friend… it’s horrible… and he has absolutely no idea."

"Now I do," Chanyeol answered, staring at the man beside him. "You don't have to feel guilty about it anymore."

Baekhyun dug his heels in the sandbox. "My story hasn't ended yet," he said. "You can be impulsive after you hear everything else."

"But I don't need to hear anything else," Chanyeol replied.

"Yes, you do," Baekhyun said. "I dated everyone else to forget you, Chanyeol."

"So what? They're just your exes now."

"Kyungsoo isn't," Baekhyun reminded, and only then did Chanyeol remember that Baekhyun was taken. "I actually like him, Yeol. For once, I'm not seeing someone because they somehow remind me of you. This time, I haven't thought of you."

Chanyeol really must've been an idiot for still asking, "If you like him, then why are you here with me instead of on that date with him?"

"I don't know," Baekhyun sighed. "Maybe because you needed someone? Maybe because I'm someone who'd come running to you if you just ask?"

"Am I too late then? And am I being too selfish when I say I've been waiting for you to break up with Kyungsoo so I could ask you again?"

"Ask what again?"

"Why you won't date me. Because I want to date you. I know what dating you means, and I want those things with you."

The silence had been deafening. Baekhyun refused to speak until Chanyeol stood and left them with no other choice but to look at each other.

"You don't know what you're saying, Chanyeol."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't. You're just scared right now because you think you'll lose me. You’ve always been wary of change. I'm here as your best friend, Chanyeol. I'll always be. Honestly, you already have too much of me, so please, could you at least leave some for me? Could you let me have this for myself?"

"Leave some foㅡ" Chanyeol bit his tongue and slapped a palm over his mouth. "You're being unfair, Baekhyun. This is so unfair to me. I'm sorry I'm late, that I just realized your feelings, but how was I supposed to know I was wasting my chance when I never knew I had it?"

"Dating me is weird. You can’t imagine being with me. You can’t imagine 'us'. That's what you told me, Chanyeol. You kept repeating it. I'm sorry I kept it a secret, but I would rather hurt myself than say something you weren't ready for and lose you," Baekhyun answered.

"And who are you to decide when I'm ready to listen? Who are you to say that what I feel isn't real?" Chanyeol wasn't thinking anymore. It was a shitty day and the conversation wasn't doing him any good by ripping his chest open to stab the heart in it.

Pathetic, but he ran. He saw fear in his best friend's eyes before he turned tail. Baekhyun yelled his name once, maybe even twice, but Chanyeol just couldn't bear it.

He didn't show up on his and Baekhyun's usual game night. He didn't send a text back. He didn't talk to Baekhyun in public unless Baekhyun spoke first, but he still sat across Baekhyun for lunch. He still laughed and returned Baekhyun's jokes with his own. Baekhyun was still his best friend. Most importantly, despite Baekhyun being the reason for the growing pain inside his chest, he still wanted to see Baekhyun everyday.

Chanyeol was more honest with himself now. He liked Baekhyun. He was hurt. Those two made him want to stay away and closer at the same time.

"Hey, Chanyeol, you coming with us?"

Sehun punched Jongin's arm before Chanyeol could reply, hissing, "He can’t. He spends Friday nights with Baekhyun."

"Sorry," Baekhyun smiled and shrugged. "Best friend privilege."

Baekhyun always covered for him, but they both knew Chanyeol wasn't going to attend this week's game night either. Chanyeol knew Baekhyun wanted him to come. However, he simply wasn't ready to be alone with Baekhyun yet.

Friday night came. Chanyeol busied himself with his old guitar until he remembered Yixing, one of Baekhyun's exes who was a splendid musician and even composed songs as a sidegig. He stopped and just watched TV.

There was a knock on his door. He dreaded the possibility of it being Baekhyun. But he also hoped it was Baekhyun.

"Hey," It was Jongdae. "I was worried you weren’t home. Game night and all."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, but then I found out Baekhyun is spending the night at Kyungsoo's."

"Oh… He is? Okay," Chanyeol found himself reeling and dumbfounded after a hard fist suddenly met his cheek. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Oh. Was that hint too much?"

"Seriously what the hell?!"

"You know, I always knew you were an idiot," Jongdae was frowning. Jongdae never frowned.

"But you're too just much sometimes, you know? Baekhyun told me what happened. Not everything, but enough. He cares for you too much to call you an idiot, so I'm here to say it for him."

"Oh, so you guys are finally telling me things instead of playing games. How very thoughtful of you," Chanyeol mocked. "Go on, tell me."

"Put this into perspective, Chanyeol. You're best friends. You've been best friends since forever. That's all Baekhyun has ever been to you. But to him, you were much more. From the very start, you weren't only his best friend. You were also the man he loved. Imagine that, Park. Whatever pain you're feeling now, imagine bearing it for years. Imagine having to hide it everyday because you're just the best friend. For years, you laughed whenever people joked about the two of you. You always said it'd never happen. You said it every single day, Chanyeol.”

“If you had to listen to that all the time, you'd feel hopeless, too. You'd be asking what's wrong with you, too. You'd keep it from him too. You take time to understand things, _fine_ , I understand that, but you _can't_ just…" Jongdae let out a deep sigh. "You can't constantly hurt his feelings and expect him to be fine."

"Why didn't he just tell me? I'm his best friend for goodness sake, doesn't that mean anything?" Chanyeol questioned. He was really hurt.

"He didn't want to freak you out."

He scoffed. "I don't 'freak out.'"

"You walked out twice. On Junmyeon and Baekhyun. They both told me."

"No, I... I—" Chanyeol realized he had nothing to argue with.

"See? You walking out is easily the least of the worries, Chanyeol. _The least."_

They both stood there in silence. It felt heavy this time, too, but nothing would ever beat the silence he shared with Baekhyun last time. Finally, Chanyeol let Jongdae inside. He was missing Baekhyun, but what was the point? Besides, even if he went to Baekhyun, what would he say?

"Tell me everything you know," he muttered. Earlier, he had just been bored, but now he just felt… tired. He was drained. "Don't leave anything out. I won't run."

"Remember when he and I broke up? I told you the news, but I didn't tell you why."

"Wasn't it because of Kyungsoo..?"

"No... It wasn't," Jongdae told him it was the first time his friend had ever seen Baekhyun cry. "He said it was unfair to me that all he saw in me was you."

That had been months ago, Baekhyun was still in love with him months ago... Chanyeol felt even more frustrated with himself. "But I was with him that month, we were together more often," Chanyeol argued. "So how come he's with Kyungsoo now? How did that happen?"

"Ah..." Jongdae didn't seem to know what to say. "When we broke up, I guess… Kyungsoo comforted him."

How? Baekhyun and Kyungsoo didn't get along that well before either. Was that a lie? Was Kyungsoo lying until that moment? That was it then? Chanyeol felt jealous and betrayed. He spent that month giving his 110% to Baekhyun that time. So he wasn't the only one? Kyungsoo was, too?

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" Jongdae chuckled dryly. "But I get it. Dating him didn't feel like I was being used either. It's just… _You_."

"I feel terrible," Chanyeol said. There was no other way to say it, especially when Jongdae told him he shared no similarity with Kyungsoo.

"I get that but, I don't know. Does it take a mere month to fall out of love?" Jongdae wondered aloud. "Why don't you ask everyone else?"

So Chanyeol asked. Instead of typing and deleting the next draft he'll never find the courage to send Baekhyun, he asked Jongin to meet up. Then he asked the others until he made contact with Yixing who was studying abroad, then Junmyeon… there was Sehun... and Jongdae again.

Baekhyun stared at the ones he loved a lot. Baekhyun stared whenever Jongin laughed, whenever Yixing strum his guitar, whenever Sehun led the way… Baekhyun must have fallen in love with each of them in those moments that they made his best friend feel safe, understood, and happy. Most of all, loved.

Chanyeol caught those moments. He spent an awful lot of time staring at Baekhyun in the past. He was jealous, but back then, he didn't know what for. He just believed being friends with whoever was his best friend's boyfriend would make things easier for Baekhyun; would keep them close.

"I should be mad at you," Jongin had laughed at him. It was Jongin who helped him first after all, so Jongin should know what he discovered. "You offered to pet sit your sister's puppy even though you're allergic."

It was dumb, but Baekhyun spent so much time with Jongin's dogs. When Baekhyun and Jongin were still dating, Chanyeol couldn't really go with them because Jongin always brought along Monggu and the others, so when his sister Yoora needed a petsitter, he quickly volunteered to take care of Toben. He even insisted on it.

He did it just to spend time with Baekhyun, who ended up petsitting Toben for him because the fur made his throat swell. Chanyeol had done many things to get and keep his best friend’s attention throughout every relationship, and he mistook them all as platonic gestures.

"I used to hate you, Chanyeol. I simply couldn't believe anyone could be as oblivious as you. Everyone could see it, so why couldn't you?"

Why, indeed? From the moment he met Baekhyun, Chanyeol knew they would be together for a long time. Maybe even forever. It felt like destiny.

What he had with Baekhyun, it was special. Whatever people wanted to call it, they were absolutely soulmates. He was simple-minded that way. He thought all he needed was to give his and Baekhyun's bond a name, and so he called it 'friendship'. He could now keep Baekhyun forever!

The word best friend was the penultimate of affection to young simple-minded Chanyeol back then. He clung to it once the boyfriends came.

"I... guess because it used to not matter to me?" Chanyeol finally answered. "No matter who Baekhyun dated, I just knew I'd still be special to him."

It didn't matter that the boyfriend danced better, was rich, or had broader shoulders. He knew 'best friends' lasted longer than boyfriends, and that was all Chanyeol really cared about. All that mattered to him were Baekhyun and doing everything to make sure he'd never lose Baekhyun.

But how true was that now?

"You still _are_ special to him, you know," Jongin tells him. "That's what matters right?"

Yes, but—

"I don't want to be _just_ special now."

"Whatever you're planning, don't do it."

"I'm not planning anything."

"I'm telling you man, whatever it is, it's a bad, bad, _bad_ idea."

But he _really_ wasn't going to do anything. Baekhyun was the smart one in their duo. Chanyeol was kinda more of the 'just do it' kind of guy.

So that's what he did.

He just did it.

He couldn't stand being mad at Baekhyun. He wasn't even that mad anymore. He was just... bitter? Yes, he was bitter about how the clues have always been right in front of him. He had them all; he just had to pay more attention.

Maybe if he had, it wouldn't be so awkward between them now. Maybe Baekhyun wouldn't have to think twice about letting him sit beside him again.

"Where's Kyungsoo?"

His best friend glanced from the menu to him before answering, "He can't eat with us today."

"Oh." Chanyeol meant 'Good.'

"I want pancake. How about you?"

"Same as you, I guess..." Baekhyun seemed at a loss over how they were suddenly on speaking terms again.

"Nah, pick something else so we can share," Chanyeol replied as he scooted closer to flip the menu in Baekhyun's hands. "Ah, how about this one?"

"Sure, anything's—" Baekhyun took a nervous breath. "Anything's fine."

Sehun sat across them but was too busy with Jongin to pay them any mind.

"Sorry I missed our game night," Chanyeol told his best friend while cutting and giving the hesitant latter a piece of his pancake.

"It's fine."

Baekhyun didn't accept the bit of pancake until he pouted and proceeded to put it into the bowl.

"I'll come this Friday," Chanyeol said.

"Really?" the volume caught all of them off-guard, even cackling Sehun choked on air in surprise.

Later, Chanyeol answered a soft, "Yeah."

Contrary to what Jongin thought, he really didn't have anything planned. He knew Baekhyun was taken. He was still bitter about it.

Baekhyun glanced at him when their hands brushed under the table. That was unintentional.

"You okay Baek?" Sehun asked with a raised brow.

"Switch seats with Jongin so he'd feel better," Chanyeol answered for the man beside him. Their hands brushed again. This time, he meant it.

To the others, the smile on his face was due to being able to make fun of Sehun again. But it wasn't. Only he and a quiet Baekhyun knew.

Even if Kyungsoo were there, he still would have sat beside Baekhyun like this again. He still would've held Baekhyun's hand under the table like this. If Baekhyun pulled away before he could link their fingers together like this, then that was that. He could have this much, couldn't he?

"What are you doing?"

"Walking home with you. We pretty much take the same route."

Baekhyun crossed his arms. "I know that."

"Okay. You free this Friday?" Chanyeol asked, pacing his wide strides to match his best friend's shorter ones.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Kyungsoo." Chanyeol spoke again when he was only met with silence. "I heard you spent last Friday with him."

"I had nothing to do," Baekhyun replied.

"I'm coming over this Friday."

"I know."

"I'm spending the night at your place."

"Yeah."

"That okay? To him? To you?"

Baekhyun stopped. "It's not a problem," he heard his best friend say.

"Because you don't like me anymore?" Chanyeol asked. "Your feelings are gone, right?" before Baekhyun could say anything, he spoke again. "Just so you know, mine are still here."

His best friend's shoulders slumped. "What am I supposed to do, Chanyeol? What do you expect me to do?" Baekhyun asked in return, staring at him with a tinge of helplessness.

"Nothing. You're taken, I know that. I do. I just… I don't want to stop being a part of your life, so tell me what my part is right now."

"Your part?"

"I don't want to make you feel like you have to choose between Kyungsoo and I, but I have to know where I stand with you. Reject me right now, Baekhyun. Tell me you're happy with him. Say that you're not in love with me anymore. Tell me so I can move on, too. Because I can't both be the person you call your best friend and the person who's hoping to one day be with you," Chanyeol said. "Please."

"I'm happy with Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun replied. Despite having been the one to have asked, it surely didn't lessen the pain for Chanyeol. "I want us to stay as best friends, Chanyeol."

He would probably never forget this moment; noticing how tightly clenched Baekhyun's pretty hands were while Baekhyun avoided his eyes.

"Okay," was all Chanyeol could respond with while he pulled a stiff Baekhyun into a hug. His throat hurt. Well, honestly, everything hurt.

He embraced Baekhyun tighter than he intended. His eyes felt hot. If he let go too soon, Baekhyun might notice and feel more terrible. Chanyeol felt like his heart would spill out if he let go and emptied his arms. But being this close to Baekhyun hurt a whole damn lot, too.

"I'm your only best friend right? The one and only?" the words tumbled out as an embarrassing croak. He felt pressured to say something.

Whatever Baekhyun had muttered against his chest, it didn't really matter. His heart wouldn't listen anytime soon, but he damn wished it would.

Chanyeol walked Baekhyun home. He couldn't remember what he did afterwards. He couldn't remember anything until Friday night finally came.

"Hi," Baekhyun's smile was small when his best friend answered the door.

"Hey," he replied as nonchalantly as he could. "I brought food."

To describe the start of the night as awkward was an understatement. Even while they played, his eyes kept wandering and noticing Baekhyun. They played well as teammates but at the end of the night, both their records were tarnished with ten new losses and zero wins.

Baekhyun took his record too seriously. Chanyeol really despised losing in anything. Needless to say, they bonded over being sore losers.

"Hand me some of the kimbap."

"Too far."

"From me."

"I'm busy not dying here, Park."

"Do it quickly then."

"Fine," Baekhyun grunted.

"Ya, I didn't ask for a whole roll," Chanyeol frowned distractedly as he ducked to see the screen.

"So picky," Baekhyun huffed and stalked away. Upon return, the kimbap had already been cut. "Here. Now do I have to feed you or can you do it yourself, you overgrown baby."

Chanyeol opened his mouth as a joke. He didn't think Baekhyun was serious about it, not until after the first bite. "Uh. You can leave it," he said, a little self-conscious.

Baekhyun shrugged and left the plate beside him before returning to the PC. Chanyeol wondered if Baekhyun ever did that for Kyungsoo. Speak of the devil…

"Baekhyun, your phone's ringing."

"I'll call back."

The phone was nearer him, so Chanyeol craned his neck to check. The ID clearly stated D.O. No endearments huh?

"It's Kyungsoo," Chanyeol announced, because saying 'boyfriend' was still too much for him.

It still stung when Baekhyun readily paused his own game to answer the call, even taking it somewhere else so he wouldn't hear anything. Damn Do Kyungsoo. The atmosphere turned awkward again once his best friend returned.

"What'd he say?"

"He was coming over."

"'Was'?"

"I told him you're here so yeah."

"I could leave. Tell him I won't stay long."

"No," Baekhyun's reply was instant. "He'll come tomorrow."

"You know, he already wants to skin me alive as it is."

"He's not like that."

"Hey, he could be. Do you know what love does to people?"

Chanyeol didn't mean anything personal by that, plus the clicking noise he made with his tongue was just him being frustrated with his game. Baekhyun didn't talk to him after that so he didn't push it anymore. If they couldn't win in love, then they were going to win their games.

He slept on Baekhyun's couch again. It was long enough to fit his legs. Made him wonder if Baekhyun picked it knowing he'd come over often.

Curiously, he had another dream about Baekhyun. His best friend was sipping on hot chocolate beside him while sitting on the floor. "Come closer," he whispered to dream Baekhyun, whose expression was uncannily just like the real Baekhyun's whenever startled.

"Why?"

"You'll know when you do," he insisted, half-groaning against a pillow.

"Are you awake, Chanyeol?" Baekhyun lowered the mug.

"Am I…? Nah… I must be dreaming."

Huh. How come the dream world wasn't listening to him? It was still too dark no matter how many fire-breathing dragons he willed to imagine.

The dream version of his best friend eyed the couch, grunting, "Space hogger."

Chanyeol pulled dream Baekhyun down to his chest. "No, I'm ‘comfy’."

"Can't argue with that," he heard mumbling. "Is this close enough?"

"Yeah."

Before anything else was said, Chanyeol kissed dream Baekhyun, and it went down as much as he expected it to.

Deam Baekhyun made another surprised noise, making it easier for him to pry those lips open for his tongue to slip in. Chanyeol tasted chocolate. He sat upright and held Baekhyun securely by the waist while they locked lips, deepening the kiss and stealing each other’s breaths.

It was warm… and Baekhyun’s lips were soft.

Oh…

Shoot, he was awake.

"Chany—"

His conscience told him to stop but Baekhyun was addicting. He found himself chasing those lips every time their kiss would break. Chanyeol didn't know what he wanted to do.

He wanted to hold Baekhyun as if the man was as delicate as a dream, but he also wanted to kiss Baekhyun senseless; to ravage him. In his mind were Baekhyun's fingers as they tangled in his hair, the sound of soft sighs, and the slightest tremble of his hands as he cupped Baekhyun's cheeks.

"Stop," Chanyeol heard someone say; _he_ did. _He_ said it. "You—we can't do this. I-I shouldn't have—" Suddenly, Baekhyun wasn't in his arms anymore. "I'm sorry, Baekhyun."

The door to Baekhyun's dorm slammed shut. Spilled chocolate now stained the floor. Chanyeol realized what he had done.

_Fuck!_

He messed up!

There was no trace of anyone else outside when Chanyeol finally got his limbs to work. It was 3AM in the morning. Where the hell would Baekhyun go?

He went back inside his best friend's dorm with a heavy heart. He was going to wait for Baekhyun to return. Was it a good idea to though? He really didn't know what to do. What could he do? Baekhyun left in a hurry and forgot his phone. What if something happened to Baekhyun?

The chocolate lingered on Chanyeol's tongue. It confused him so much more. He really couldn’t be best friends with Baekhyun anymore, could he…?

He hated this. He hated the sweetness in his mouth. He hated that he didn't know where Baekhyun ran off to. Running away was his thing! His! He felt helpless. He'd search for Baekhyun, but Baekhyun didn't want to see him. His only option left now was—

"Park, it's fucking 3AM."

Kyungsoo.

"He forgot his phone. If there's anyone else he'd go to, it's you. I have no right to ask this from you, but if he does, will you tell me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Baekhyun," Chanyeol answered.

It took a few torturous seconds before Kyungsoo said, "Okay" and hung up.

Kyungsoo's text came at 10AM. It was short and said, _'He's with me.'_

Chanyeol was relieved. And bitter, sad, and angry… But most of all, exhausted.

_'Is he ok?'_

_'Is he going to come back?'_

_'Has he eaten yet?'_

_'Will you tell him I'm sorry?'_

He deleted each draft and sent, _'Thanks.'_

The only mess Chanyeol could clean was the chocolate so he did, and when he left his best friend's dorm, he locked the door behind him.

_'When you're ready to see me, will you let me know?'_

That was the last text he sent Baekhyun. As expected, he never got a reply. At least, not from the person he expected it from.

_‘I have something to say to you.'_

Ah... the full brunt of Do Kyungsoo's wrath was here.

"Punch me. Go ahead," the laugh that escaped Chanyeol's lips was depreciating when Kyungsoo finally arrived. Didn’t take the guy long at all. "But nothing you do can possibly make me feel worse."

"I won't waste my time repeating things you've already heard from Jongin," Kyungsoo replied calmly.

In all honesty, Chanyeol preferred the angry Kyungsoo. At least then, he could say he avoided Kyungsoo because Kyungsoo disliked him and not just because Kyungsoo was Byun Baekhyun's boyfriend. But Kyungsoo only waited for him to say something. Patiently. Still so calmly. Did Kyungsoo expect him to say sorry? To explain himself?

"If you're not going to punch me for doing something stupid, thenㅡ"

"I can't punch you for every time you make stupid decisions, Chanyeol. I’ll go to jail."

"Jai— _why_ do you hate me so much? What have I ever done to you?" Chanyeol asked. He wanted to leave. But he wasn't going to run away. No more of that. He couldn't run even if he tried, and letting the man he was jealous of inside his apartment was one of the bad decisions he has ever made.

"Do you really not know?"

"You can't be jealous. Baekhyun doesn't like me anymore. The other night was—"

"That's not what he told me."

What else could it be if not a mistake? That's why Baekhyun ran away, right? Because he forced himself on Baekhyun? Because it was wrong?

"You were there with him when I called. He sounded really happy, Chanyeol."

'So what?' Chanyeol thought. Kyungsoo made Baekhyun happy, too.

"It was 9AM when he came to me. I kissed him when he arrived. He tasted like ramyun from the convenience store right across the street."

Chanyeol felt his heart drop. Did Baekhyun hate the chocolate, too? Did it turn bitter in Baekhyun’s mouth the same way it did in his? "Why are you telling me this?" he asked with a tight throat.

"Because I don't hate you. I hate how you expect Baekhyun to be like you. I hate how you forced him to learn to hide his feelings to keep you comfortable and how you think a confession will change all of that."

"Say what you want to say," Chanyeol had to bite his tongue. "Because you don't have to remind me where I went wrong. I haven't forgotten."

"One hundred days," Kyungsoo said after what felt like forever.

"One hundred days...?" Chanyeol frowned. That made three months, didn't it?

"When Baekhyun was dating Jongin, I admired your friendship. But when Baekhyun and Jongdae broke up, I knew it couldn't be just friendship. I wondered for so long why Baekhyun broke up with Jongin. And Sehun. And Junmyeon, and Jongdae… I wondered about what he could’ve possibly seen in you.”

“Nine different men and he broke up with them all because all he still wanted was you. Why? Why couldn't any of them make him fall in love enough to forget someone like you? I felt sorry for Baekhyun for being in love with a fool like you. For feeling the need to break up with guys like Jongin because of you.”

“Three months ago, I found him eating ramyun in that convenience store across my street. He just broke up with Jongdae that night. He just realized everyone he has ever dated only reminded him of you one way or another, you know this much right?"

Chanyeol nodded. Stiffly, slowly. He could imagine Baekhyun laughing. Baekhyun was a better liar, his best friend laughed even while miserable.

"I said 'Date me for a hundred days'," Kyungsoo's voice was softer. "You and I have nothing in common, Chanyeol. I couldn’t possibly remind him of you."

"It worked, didn't it?" Chanyeol replied. "He moved on and he's happy with you."

His best friend's boyfriend made a disheartened chuckle. "Baekhyun said he couldn't love me. He couldn't love me the same way he loved you," Kyungsoo said. "I can't explain it better than that."

"Does he want to see me?" Chanyeol's heart raced. He wanted to see Baekhyun. But his legs wouldn't move. "No, nevermind. I-I'll go see him."

His lungs felt like they were on fire while he ran all the way to Baekhyun's dorm. He really should make better decisions. He really should.

He was sweaty, in pain, and heaving when he arrived. He begged his heart to calm down. He let himself crawl but he refused to pass out yet. He fell into a heap by Baekhyun's door. He was dead tired. He was a dumbass, what if Baekhyun wasn't home? Ah, he should've asked Kyungsoo!

Chanyeol didn't think Baekhyun was going to answer his call, his best friend never replied, after all.

"Yeol—"

But as soon as the call connected, Chanyeol heaved, "I'm here!"

"What?"

"Outside. Door."

He fell backwards, dropping onto Baekhyun's floor when the door opened behind him.

Baekhyun was so baffled, and his eyes were red. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I love you," Chanyeol wasted no time to confess.

"Get up."

"I love you, Byun Baekhyun."

"Please move, Chanyeol."

"I ran all the way here to tell you I love you and that I wanted to kiss you."

Baekhyun stared at him. A little shocked. Quite flustered. Definitely speechless.

"I can't move… oh, everything hurts," Chanyeol croaked.

"You can't stay there!"

"I can't go back."

"What, do you expect me to carry you inside?"

"No need, just give me… a minute," Chanyeol smiled. "Oh, how I missed you."

"Chanyeol," Baekhyun crouched beside him, trying to stifle a smile. "You have a spare key. You didn't have to run."

"It's nothing compared to how long you waited. Kyungsoo told me," it hurt to even speak, but Chanyeol had to. "I'm sorry I've been an idiot. But I'm not sorry that I kissed you."

"He told you what?"

"About your one hundred days. That your hundredth day was last week. You thought I didn't want to kiss you, but I did."

The only thing that hurt more than his sore muscles was how Baekhyun seemed unable to believe him and asked, "Why did you say sorry then?"

"Because you had a boyfriend… I thought you were in love with Kyungsoo. And we were supposed to be just best friends again. I said okay."

"How are you so sure I'm not in love with Kyungsoo?"

"Do Kyungsoo can't joke," Chanyeol reminded. "And because you kissed me back." His best friend pulled him inside, stopping when he mumbled.

"What was that?" Baekhyun came closer.

"I just said I love you. I'm fully awake and I'd still kiss you. I'd kiss you as often as you want. I'll date you and I'll never let you break up with me, Baekhyun."

"Shut up," Baekhyun hissed. His best friend's cheeks were red. Baekhyun's ears too, especially after he yanked Baekhyun down like last time.

"I really love you. You don't have to date anyone else. You don't need ten different men. You can have me now, Byun Baekhyun. You have me."

He knew he was talking too much for someone who was bone tired. Maybe Baekhyun just wanted him to shut up. Nonetheless, a kiss was a kiss.


End file.
